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Hi everyone!

Earlier this month DigiVol reached an extraordinary milestone, when our number of completed tasks ticked over 8-million! This is an amazing testament to the commitment of our volunteers in combination with the collaboration of our institution partners.

Delving into the stats, our 8-millionth task was a camera trap task by long-time institution Bush Heritage Australia, from a Mid-West WA: Eurardy expedition. It was completed on the 11th of January, and the Submit button was clicked by Ian Fairclough (congrats Ian!).

You can see the task here as a European Rabbit wanders into the frame. The shot is a good example of the importance of these camera traps. Multiple sightings of these invasive species in one area can help to focus control methods, and their numbers can be monitored over time.

The Australian Museum Mineralogy and Petrology collection consists of over 81,000 registered specimens. The Mineral collection has a taxonomic coverage of 1,545 mineral species. About 35% of the collection is from NSW, 25% from other Australian states and Antarctica, and 40% from overseas.

The museum's petrology specimens showcase the diversity of Earth’s geological materials, from igneous to sedimentary and metamorphic rocks. These samples help illustrate geological processes such as volcanic activity, sediment deposition, and tectonic transformations. Each specimen serves as a physical record of natural events that have shaped the planet over time.

This expedition is part of the Australian Museum's Collection Enhancement Project (CEP). The CEP will result in new levels of access to the AM’s diverse collections, making digital images and meta data easily accessible to First Nations communities, scientists, researchers, students and individuals from Australia and abroad.